The Biological House: turning agricultural waste into a home

Published on: 19 Feb 2018

In a world first, Danish architectural firm Een Til Een has revealed the latest innovation in sustainable housing: a home built with materials made from agricultural waste such as grass, straw and seaweed.

The Biological House was conceptualised in collaboration with the Danish Environmental Protection Agency to demonstrate how local waste resources can be upcycled into valuable building materials. The reuse of these materials is not only better for the environment, it also prevents the damaging effects of burning the waste, as this type of agricultural residue normally ends up at an incineration plant.

“It sounds like science fiction that you can build a house from things such as tomato stems, straw and seaweed, which is just as durable as normal buildings and at the same time has a healthy economy and complies with the rules,” says Danish Environmental Minister Kirsten Brosbøl. “However, the Biological House shows that it is possible here and now.”

Before its unveiling, Een til Een constructed the Biological house in secrecy in Middelfart, Denmark. Its doors are now, however, open to visitors from all around the world.